Atropa Belladonna~ Raven (a.k.a. Nightshade)'s Weblog ~
These are the ARCHIVES of JUNE 2006. For more archives, visit the Archives page. For the current Weblog entries, check the Main page.
Atropa Belladonna| Wed, June 28, 2006 (10:15am) I am married to the best freaking husband on the face of the earth. He installed a ceiling fan in our bedroom last night. Yep - he spent a couple hours wrangling bizarre mechanical devices, reading instructions in Spanish (well, and then English after he flipped the brochure the right way around), collecting tools and measuring devices, checking in our ceiling with a flashlight, and even at one point even getting dressed in a long sleeved sweatshirt so he could poke throught the insulation in our attic to check if additional support would be required for hanging the fan. All of this in the stifling 30+degree heat, which collects in our upstairs master bedroom. But when he was finished, he pushed a button on a remote... and voila! Instant breeze! Yeah, I'm a lucky person, being married to a guy who can install a ceiling fan. (Tho, I guess my sister-in-law Kristy is a pretty lucky person, too, in that regard.) Yay for spouses with mechanical talents. |
| Tues, June 27, 2006 (9:10am) A Connor Report I haven't posted a Connor Report in a while, I realize. He's been doing so much cool stuff every day that it's hard to keep track of - his therapy is going well, and I spend most of my time just trying to keep up with him. Today, however, I wanted to share an excellent example of Connor's determination, communication, and problem-solving skills. There's an Aztec style bird on our wall - a souvenir my sister brought back from Honduras - and Connor wanted to get a better look at it. I'd held him up to see it once or twice, but I'm not as tall as Daddy, and he wanted to get a good look. Unfortunately, his Dad was on the other side of the baby gate, and Connor couldn't reach him. Since the Con-man still doesn't use a lot of words (like, "Dad, please come over here so you can lift me up to see the bird") he stood by the gate being frustrated for a little while. Then he walked over to me. "Come!" he said, taking my hand. He walked me over to the hallway. "Open gate!" he requested, putting my hand on the gate latch. I wanted to see where he would go, so I opened the gate for him. Connor let go of me and walked over to his Dad. "Come!" he said, grabbing Daddy's hand, and pulling him back through the open gate. Connor walked him over to the bird. "UP!" Connor shouted, looking at the bird. Daddy picked him up, and Connor got to look the bird over at his leisure. He even repeated, "Bird!" a couple times after Daddy modeled the word for him. We were treated to ConnorSmiles and ConnorGiggles a-plenty. |
| Thurs, June 22, 2006 (11:10am) Just a reminder to anyone who cares... Pirates of the Carribean 2: Dead Man's Chest opens on July 7th (that's in 2 weeks). We're planning to go see it, in costume. So far the theater of choice appears to be City Center, and we'd be going to an early (7pm-ish) showing. NOW is the time to speak up if you want to influence the exact choice of time (I believe they'll be showing it on multiple screens, so there's be showings before 7, and after.) We're going to send someone in advance to buy tickets for all of us, so if you can't make it early enough to get in the line for tix, let us know and we'll have someone (Lazarus??) do the purchasing. Also, if you are in need of any pirate-like garb, let us know and we can get something together for you. (Speaking of which, Laz, can you come over in the next week or so for some measurements/fittings?) And on that note, I need new leather pants. Anyone wanna come shopping with me, tonight? |
| Tues, June 20, 2006 (12:55pm) Okay, I had to scan and post this pic, because it is so incriminating that I've been tempted to destroy the original. Behold the wonderous make-over I was given by Kalen at the Mother's Day KinderSpa: (Click here to see the trauma) |
| Sat, June 17, 2006 (10:00am) This is cool - someone just emailed me to say that they'd used one of my fake blood recipes as a base for their 666 blood wrestling arena. They adapted it by using cranberry sauce, and ended up making 75 gallons of the stuff. Link to a video clip was sent along, thugh I'm not sure if I should post it here. Waiting on permission for that. |
| Tues, June 13, 2006 (7:25pm) Why have I not updated my weblog recently? Is it because: A) Our TV died, and the few minutes a day when the kids might be out of my hair watching a video are now spent keeping them out of mischief. B) We're getting renovations done in our basement and I'm having so much fun watching the progress that I haven't found much time to spend online. C) The renovations have caused Connor's therapy time to relocate upstairs, and I rarely have child-free access to my computer. D) Connor recently tried to open the Emergency Exit Door on his schoolbus while it was driving down the YellowHead, and I've been spending some time on the phone with the bus service trying to figure out: first, How the bus driver allowed this to happen, and second, How best to prevent it from ever happening again. E) Connor tried to jump out a second floor window, and I have been spending more time monitoring him. F) I have been busy conferring with Connor's Psych Consult regarding the two incidents above. G) I picked up a couple of good books, and any "spare time" I have has been spent de-stressing betwixt their pages. H) All of the above. The answer, of course, is H. BTW - Wally, if you're reading this, I want you to know that you're invited over tonight. I'd have called ya to tell you so, but your cell phone is still sitting on my front steps. |
| Mon, June 5, 2006 (10:30am) On the phone, last night... "Hello, you've reached (insert name of clinic). This is the nurse speaking. How may I help you?" |
| Sat, June 3, 2006 (2:00pm) En Garde! The other day, while I was loading the kids into the van, Kalen asked me one of her repeat questions (that is, questions she asks regularly, but forgets the answer for). "Mommy, why do mice always have to be on guard?" I finished buckling her seatbelt, and explained again, "Mice are very small creatures, and other animals would love to eat them as a tasty snack. They have to be on their guard against predators like cats, or hawks, or even people. Of course, people don't usually eat mice, but they might kill them if they catch them. Now, can you remember that for a few days, this time?" Kalen nodded sagely, but from past experience I know that she usually forgets within a week or so. Then we'll be on our way to Church, or driving to Costco, and she'll ask the same question again. So I tried to figure out a way to help her remember it. "What would you do, if you were a mouse, Kalen? How would you stay away from dangerous animals?" She thought about it a little while, and then said, "I'd remember to read that sign." (blink) Sign? "Which sign are you talking about, sweetie?" "That one." she says, pointing to the front of the van. And I looked, and sure enough - right above the passenger's seat, printed on the back of the sun visor - was a sign. The small print warned of the perils of placing a carseat in any location with an airbag. But the big, red, bilingual message above it, said: "WARNING! MISE EN GARDE!" Yep. A warning to mice, to be on guard. |
| Fri, June 2, 2006 (9:30am) I played hookey from my packing duties yestereve, and went to hang out with the crowd at BP's. It was fun, with good conversation, happy friends, and of course the obligatory gaming chatter. One of the people at our table was raving about Purgatory, and I had to explain why I wasn't playing this Chronicle: because Shades was playing, and it was my turn to stay home (in Sherwood Park) and take care of the kids. The best part of the evening, though, was when the pretty girl at our table put 2 and 2 together (you live in Sherwood Park, and your husband plays Purgatory...?) and gave me an awestruck look of envy, and said, "You're married to Jeremy Strathearn?" |
| Thurs, June 1, 2006 (1:40pm) Well, That Was Fast Thank you for everyone who offered our items a good home. They all went faster than I expected them too. Which is good - because this renovation thing is gonna happen a lot faster than expected, too! My Mom took a call last night (while I was out) and told me the carpenter will be starting on Monday. Monday! That means I have today and tomorrow to move a metric shitload of stuff out of the basement. If I'm lucky, I may be able to get a little work done on the weekend, too, because I'm on evening shift rather than days... but I suspect I'll be watching the kids while I'm home, so that Shades can do a run to the dump, and then move a couple metric shitloads of Lego into the garage. Arg! Why am I wasting precious time updating this weblog when I have packing to do?!? |
